Deb

I generally suggest starting with the chest measurement, but don’t drop more than two sized below the child’s age or the sleeves and armholes might be too small. We’ve allowed approximately 2″ of ease in the pattern, so if she’s measuring between sizes you might be safe to go down instead of up. And of course I always suggest making a muslin!

I’m no expert in sergers, that’s for sure! I’d suggest taking it to a service center or someone who can take a look at it. They’re quite a specialized piece of equipment, and I’m just happy when I can thread mine successfully.

That sounds like a good plan to me! Definitely test the interfacing (which sounds like it’s amazing) before using it to see if it’s necessary, but it sounds like you’ve thought it out brilliantly.

Hi Julie @juviboston

If this young lady measures just 22 1/2″ around the chest, I would be inclined to make a size 4 and use the length of an 8 if she is within the height measurements specified for this size. It would make it far too big to make a size 6 as the amount of ease is 2 inches and it is ample.

I would measure her height to find out…[Read more]

Sorry for the silence! Yes, the hem for both views is the same allowance. Like Lightning says, it’s a short boxy style. It looks darling on her! It also depends on what you’re wearing with it. The cropped length looks great with the culottes, but it might be on the short side for other styles. It’s all about the silhouette, right?

The t-shirt is a boxy, cropped style. It’s very stylish especially when teamed with the culottes. But not, I found, on a little girl who insisted on wearing her skirts or pants with the front waistband pulled down below a toddler belly. Ugh.
I’m not sure about the hem length without getting the pattern out, but imagine it would be the same for…[Read more]

Hey Diane, I’d suggest lining with lawn. Kaufman makes a nice line of solid lawns that would be a great lining. I’m not sure you’d need to underline the dress, especially if you’re going to include the tulle, which will give the skirt more body for sure. Does that help?

Hello there Heidi😄

Thanks for the reply. Yes I think they might’ve felt a little overdressed last year judging from the comments in the newsletter. We didn’t purposefully go looking for dresses over the summer holidays but as we were walking through Myer she made the comment of “I like that one!” To a black and red fit and flare on the mannequin.…[Read more]

What about using the Building Block Dress book to draft a collar of your own to fit the cape? A fur Peter Pan collar would be adorable!

The Little Things To Sew Cape has a good already and is probably closer to the swingy shape of your inspiration image.
Or, if it’s a fur/fake fur collar you’re wanting, then how about a removable faux collar. Makes it easier to wash the Cape if needed.
You could use a collar shape from the Building Block Dress Book and have it tie at the back, and…[Read more]

Hi Martha,

You can use the bodice hem of the basic Building Block Dress pattern as an estimated waist, but you’ll want to check it when doing a fitting with the muslin to be sure it’s accurate. Everyone is different, so it’s helpful to check and adjust as necessary.

Cheers,
Liesl

The pattern should be correct. There’s a good deal of negative ease here to account for a knit fabric with at least 25% stretch. They should fit to that body measurement fine. Did you use a knit with at least 25% stretch? That could be part of the issue.

Did you check your seam allowance?

True story! They were super helpful over the phone, sent me big enough swatches to judge the hand, held my yardage for 24hours while I talked to the bride. It wasn’t my first time doing business with them but certainly my first being so needy!

I’m so glad you found what you needed! The people are Farmhouse are lovely.

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone! I ended up ordering a bundle of swatches from lots of places. This is the fabric we decided on.http://shop.farmhousefabrics.com/stores_app/Browse_Item_Details.asp?Shopper_id=515812271655158&Store_id=198&page_id=23&Item_ID=30350&Name=Periwinkle-Blue-Silk-Batiste,-52
Now to get to planning….

And, yes…[Read more]

that’s great @poppy_andrew they look perfect!